The 27-year-old band teacher at Carbondale Junior-Senior High School talked to students as young as seventh-graders about smoking marijuana and engaging in sexual intercourse, police said.

Mr. Dixon, of 1013 N. Irving Ave, Scranton, was charged Friday with corruption of minors and furnishing minors with alcohol. He was led from the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office with a cap drawn down over his face and said nothing while being led into an unmarked police car.

“I’m not going to deny that I think of you guys in a sexual nature,” Mr. Dixon told students in his classroom, police said. “I’m a guy with a penis and mine is feeling pretty happy now.”

He also told students he smoked marijuana before school and that he masturbates. He told the students they should masturbate and have sexual intercourse too.

Mr. Dixon joined a band established by students and would play with them at local venues. He smoked marijuana and shared it with the students when he drove them to gigs and purchased whiskey for at least one underage band member, police said.

The investigation was prompted by school officials, who first became concerned about Mr. Dixon’s conduct after he initiated a “troubling conversation” with Principal Joseph Farrell after school on May 1.

Mr. Farrell immediately relayed the conversation to Superintendent Joseph Gorham, who placed Mr. Dixon on administrative leave that night. Mr. Gorham said he could not disclose what the conversation was about.

“We had to act,” Mr. Gorham said. “We’re not going to tolerate that kind of behavior.”

The next day, administrators began interviewing students. When Mr. Gorham realized that something criminal may have happened, he contacted Carbondale police. By the end of May 2, the district attorney’s office became involved, Mr. Gorham said.

Counseling is available to students, and the band concert planned months in advance went smoothly Thursday night with the help of the school music teacher and a substitute teacher, Mr. Gorham said. About 125 students are in the school band.

“We will continue to ensure we are taking all the necessary steps possible in this process to the fullest extent of the law,” the letter states. “We have acted swiftly and decisively and can assure you we will not tolerate any behavior that violates the code of conduct set forth under the law for teachers.”

Magisterial District Judge Joanne Corbett, who arraigned Mr. Dixon on Friday afternoon and set his bail at $50,000, ordered the teacher to have no contact with the victims, or any minors, should he make bail. He is charged with corruption of minors and furnishing liquor to minors.

He remains on paid administrative leave from the school district. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 19.

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